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Howard couldn’t save U.S. in the end

Gannett
Published 9:27 p.m. ET July 1, 2014

United States goalkeeper Tim Howard, left, and defender Matt Besler react after a Belgium goal in overtime during a round of 16 match Tuesday at the World Cup at Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, Brazil.
(Photo:
Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY
)

With the U.S. defense a complete mess, unnerved and overmatched, the only thing standing between Belgium and an 8-0 win today was Howard. Time and again he stopped the Red Devils’ All-Star lineup cold, tipping balls up and over the crossbar, kicking them clear, punching them away or smothering them so tightly it’s a wonder they didn’t pop.

His 16 saves were most in a World Cup game since 1966, and more than most goalkeepers will make in the entire tournament.

“None of that really matters to me,” Howard said after the U.S. was eliminated by the 2-1 loss in extra time. “That’s what I’m assigned to do, it’s part of the job. It hurts when we lose, whether I had no saves or 20 saves.”

If not for Howard, however, the Americans would have been done for at halftime let alone 90 minutes. But with one save more spectacular than the next, each one prompting gasps from a crowd packed with American fans, he bought the U.S. time ... and more time ... and more time as the game remained tied at 0-0 after regulation.

“The longer he keeps you in the game, the more you hope: ‘Let’s give us some breaks here and go forward and find our own chances,’ ” coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. “The more the game went on, the more chances we created. That’s what you want to build on — the back of Tim, basically.”

But Howard has his limit for how long he can carry a non-existent defense, and it expired in the 93rd minute. Romelu Lukaku, who plays with Howard at Everton, made a hard-charging run up the right side and crossed into the box. Geoff Cameron blocked it so briefly, only to have Kevin De Bruyne pick it up and fire from 8 yards.

Howard dove but the ball was just beyond his legs. He’s not a Miracle Man, let alone Elastic Man.

As the ball settled into the far corner of the net, Howard collapsed onto his back in dismay, arms thrown to the side.

Howard would have been excused for mailing it in at that point, knowing he’d done everything to keep the U.S. in the game without getting anything in return. But that’s not who he is. Within seconds he was back on his feet, hands on his hips and barking at the referee to break up Belgium’s celebration so they could get on with the game.

Belgium kept up its attack, and Howard kept shutting it them down. Coaches all around the world will put their goalkeepers in a room and make them watch Howard’s performance over and over again, hoping they’ll learn something.

But just before halftime of the first extra period, De Bruyne and Lukaku combined again. This time, it was De Bruyne feeding Lukaku. With the U.S. spread so thin, there were seams as big as highways, Howard had no chance to stop Lukaku when he shot from close range.

“Sometimes when you give your best and you fight and you scrap, it doesn’t work out,” Howard said. “We got beat by a good team. Hats off to them.”

As the U.S. goalkeeper for eight years now, Howard has become America’s security blanket. He has bailed the U.S. out too many times to count, and fans in England are only half-joking when they ask if he’d consider switching allegiances.

He’s so consistent, so good, so reliable maybe his teammates take him for granted. That the U.S. backline was going to be shaky was a given, with no true left back and guys playing out of position. Knowing Howard was behind them was the ultimate insurance policy.

“Sometimes, it’s hard to realize what’s going on because it’s Tim Howard. We expect that from him,” Matt Besler said.

But a little help would be nice. Or a flak jacket. Howard was peppered by 27 shots on goal as the U.S. managed only nine. Only one of those hit the mark, with Julian Green scoring in the 107th minute.

The U.S. played the final 13-plus minutes at a frenetic pace, trying to get the equalizer. But it never came. When the final whistle blew, Howard calmly unwrapped the tape from around his gloves.

“We were right there, you know?” Howard said. “We nearly had it.”

For his efforts, Howard was named Man of the Match. But that seems so insignificant for what he did, throughout the tournament.